What they are saying pro and con: Ohio and Valley leaders react to Roe v. Wade reversal

Mahoning Valley legislators, state officials and reproductive rights activists responded to Friday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the court’s 1973 landmark decision that made access to abortion a constitutional right.

Mandy Fehlbaum of Steel Valley Reproductive Justice Coalition

The Reproductive Justice Coalition group is upset and frustrated. We do not want to go back to what it was before Roe v. Wade, because abortion has existed that will continue to exist.

We are going to provide as many resources as possible so that people know that they can still receive care.

Women who may wish to have an abortion in the future may go to states that still permit abortion, like New York, because Ohio already has a trigger ban on abortion. [Editor’s note: Those “trigger ban” bills are currently pending in the legislature.]

What the Supreme Court has done shows that future generations will have less or no rights at all and they need to fight to get reproductive rights again.

The fight will continue, and we are not giving up. The lawmakers should know that history will remember where they stood and they must know that the majority of people do support access to abortion, and they need to listen to the voice of the people.

The reproductive rights of men are not up for debate, but they keep making decisions for women. This is unfair, and women must rise to defend their reproductive rights.

___

The coalition has scheduled a rally for 5 p.m. today at the corner of Federal and Market streets in downtown Youngstown.

Youngstown Catholic Diocese Bishop David J. Bonnar

The dignity of the human person is the foundation of Catholic Social Teaching and as Catholics we are called to consistently protect and defend life. Today’s Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. [Jackson] Women’s Health Organization is an opportunity to further a culture of life in our country.

In this historic moment, I call upon Catholics and all people of good will to respond with care and I join my brother Ohio bishops in embracing a broad vision where all people can flourish and contribute to the common good. In public policy, including here in Ohio, we expect to have the opportunity to now advocate for laws that legally protect the lives of those not yet born. At the same time, as people committed to life, we must also advocate for policies that can more effectively respond to the many realities that threaten life and human dignity: systemic poverty that affects women, children, and families in a profound way, the wide availability of assault weapons and the deeply rooted causes of violence in our culture, the mental health and addiction crises, an unjust system of capital punishment, the enduring scourge of racism, among many other pressing needs.

___

Bishop Bonnar said the Youngstown diocese helps low-income families get assistance with food, housing, utilities and other basic needs, and points them toward resources to make them more financially self-sufficient.

State Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan of Youngstown, D-58th

Fifty years of a constitutional right have been stripped away from us. This ruling will affect poor women the most. We have lost our fundamental constitutional right. I am so angry that a far-right minority have pushed their radical agenda at the expense of our daughters’ lives. Women will die. The horrible thing about this is that this will not stop abortion, it will only stop safe abortion.

We must and we can, thanks to the initiative provisions of the Ohio Constitution, restore a woman’s right to control her body and her destiny. Today marks the beginning of a battle we will win.

___

Lepore-Hagan said more than 60% of Ohioans agree with the establishment of abortion as a constitutional right through the Roe v. Wade decision, citing a Cincinnati Enquirer report on Quinnipiac poll results released in July 2019.

Statehouse Democrats in May introduced a House resolution to amend the state constitution to preserve women’s reproductive rights in the state. The amendment has yet to be assigned to a House committee or receive any hearings.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine

Gov. Mike DeWine delivered an address broadcast Friday on The Ohio Channel:

My fellow Ohioans — I fully understand that the Supreme Court’s decision today is deeply troubling to many of you. Those of you who are pro-choice believe this is a matter of freedom and is a decision only the woman can make. Those who are pro-life, including my wife Fran and me, believe that the life of a human being is at stake and that we have an obligation to protect that innocent life.

We all have friends and others close to us whom we respect and who are on both sides of the issue.

But — whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, Republican or Democrat — we all need to be kind, civil, and respect one another as we debate this issue.

As the issue of abortion returns to the states, how we debate it is so very important. It is going to be very easy to let this debate get rough and tough — and there is certainly nothing wrong with spirited debate. However, we must do it in a way that recognizes that smart, sincere, dedicated and caring people can have very, very different and equally heartfelt views.

___

DeWine said he believes Ohioans want the state to be “the most pro-family, pro-child state in the country.”

To that end, he said more must be done to lower the state’s infant and maternal mortality rate — which is especially high for Black infants and mothers — increase the availability of food and housing; remove toxic lead paint from homes; and expand children’s access to mental health services.

The governor said the state’s “Bold Beginning” initiative is a $1 billion investment into prenatal care, parenting classes, mentoring, education and nutrition assistance for pregnant mothers and their families.

DeWine said “in the weeks ahead” he intends to work with state lawmakers and local communities to improve pre- and post-natal care, offer more maternal depression screenings and expand mental health resources for women who miscarry.

He also pledged more awareness about adoption services and expanded health care coverage for mothers and children.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost

This decision returns abortion policy to the place it has always belonged: to the elected policy branches of government. Roe was poorly reasoned, a doctrine of shifting sands that invited perpetual litigation.

We will continue to debate this issue. But passion is not a license to violence. I call again on my federal colleague, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and my fellow states’ attorneys general to publicly commit to holding violent protesters accountable under the law, no matter which side they are on.

Pro-Choice Ohio Executive Director Kellie Copeland

The most important thing that Ohioans need to know today is that abortion is still legal in Ohio. There are nine clinics across the state and several in neighboring states that can safely and legally provide abortion care for patients. Today’s ruling is devastating, but it is not the end.

If you want to know who’s to blame for this attack on our basic human rights, look at Governor Mike DeWine and members of the Republican Party. They have spent decades methodically passing legislation and litigating cases to dismantle Roe v. Wade and destroy protections for our bodily autonomy, access to abortion, contraception and comprehensive sex education. In Ohio, they gerrymandered their way into power and have defied the Ohio Constitution, the Supreme Court of Ohio and the majority of Ohio voters in a desperate attempt to hold onto that power. They intend to rule Ohioans, not represent us. We must not submit to that tyranny.

___

Copeland said an abortion ban without exceptions in Ohio would have a disproportionately harmful impact on Black and indigenous people and other communities of color, LGBTQ and non-binary residents and those living in rural areas.

Though Ohioans may still travel out-of-state to access care and receive medication to safely terminate a pregnancy at home, “others will not be so lucky,” Copeland said.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Cleveland, D-Ohio

For 50 years, women in America had the right to make their own personal health care decisions. Today, five judges handed that right over to politicians. This will be the first generation of women to grow up with fewer rights and freedoms than their mothers and grandmothers, and this burden will be disproportionately carried by low-income women and women of color.

This is a radical decision by an increasingly out-of-touch court, and Americans won’t stand for it. When, how and whether to have a family is one of the most personal and meaningful decisions we make in life, and the freedom to make those decisions for yourself, free from political interference, should be available to everyone.

The president and Congress must take action restoring protections for women to make their own health choices, and women will make their voices heard in voting booths around Ohio and the country this November.

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman of Cincinnati, R-Ohio

Today’s ruling is consistent with my view that policy questions regarding abortion should be decided by the elected representatives of the people, not the Supreme Court. Through its ruling today, the court made this clear. The states already play a significant role in abortion policy, but have been constrained by various Supreme Court rulings. Now the issue of abortion will be decided by the states and the elected representatives closest to the people.

While abortion is a very sensitive and emotional issue with strong feelings on both sides, I think most Americans agree that human life is precious and should be protected wherever possible. To that end, we should do more to work together in a bipartisan manner to promote adoption, reduce the number of abortions and provide support for pregnant women in difficult circumstances.

Ohio U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance

I am 37 years old, and for my entire life abortion on demand — decreed by an unelected panel of judges — has been forced on the nation. Today is a great day. It vindicates a half-century of work, and gives us an opportunity to live up our founding creed — that all of us are truly created equal.

We now enter a new phase of the pro-life movement. We will continue the fight to ensure that every young mother has the resources they need to bring new life into the world. We will build an economy where it’s possible to sustain and support our children. We will expand adoption and promote pregnancy centers, so that every child has the loving home they deserve. Some of our efforts will be federal, and others local, but all will be focused on the simple principle that life is worth protecting — from the moment it begins until its natural end.

In the Hebrew Bible, God tells Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” This wisdom echoes through the ages in our hearts and in our minds; now it falls to us to ensure it is reflected in the laws of our nation.

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th

Today’s disastrous decision is the largest case of government overreach in my lifetime. By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court is gutting a long-established right in order to put politicians between women and their doctors. Even worse, this ruling gives the green light to those here in Ohio who have introduced legislation that would deny women access to potentially lifesaving care, and threaten to put women and doctors in jail.

We saw this coming, which is why as a member of Congress I’ve voted repeatedly to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, only to watch it die in the Senate along with so many other bills that would protect health care and help women and families. It’s clear the Senate is not working the way it’s supposed to and Ohio women will pay the price. It has never been more important that we expand our pro-choice majority, end the filibuster, and pass legislation to protect the fundamental right to an abortion.

U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson of Marietta, R-6th

Today marks a landmark and historic decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of life. It’s a great day!

After oral arguments concluded last December, it was fairly clear that several justices had significant concerns with the legal foundations Roe and Casey rested on.

But now, finally, 2022 is the year that the extraordinarily divisive issue of abortion is removed from the unelected federal judiciary and returned to the citizens of each state to decide for themselves through their state legislatures. And that’s as it should be.

I hope Ohio now follows suit with a similar law to the one enacted and upheld in Mississippi. Liberal states, like California and New York, will likely vote to become hubs for abortion. And while I would vehemently disagree with their decision, it would be up to the voters in those states. And that’s the point: Today’s Supreme Court decision, authored by Justice [Samuel] Alito, rightfully allows states to make their own decisions; it does not ban abortion. But today marks an important return to the federalism on which our Constitution is based.

Today is unquestionably a huge win for the pro-life community. Those who’ve worked so hard for nearly five decades fighting to recognize and protect the life of the unborn — the most vulnerable and innocent among us — have reason to rejoice. However, pro-life Americans must continue to stand up and speak out for the sanctity of life.

President Trump understood that, and it’s why his administration worked so hard to implement policies to defend the unborn, and appointed countless pro-life district and circuit court judges and three Supreme Court justices who decide cases according to the Constitution and not political passions. Without President Trump and Senate Republicans standing strong on federal court confirmations, today’s landmark ruling simply wouldn’t have happened.

Finally, today’s ruling highlights the courage of several justices who refused to be intimidated by threats of violence and daily protests at their homes. They should be commended for putting the integrity of the Constitution above their own comfort and safety.

This story was originally published June 24, 2022 at 2:45 PM.